August i, 1888.] TH r i TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
123 
was only five and a half hundredweight per acre 
Nothing is said in the report ahout leaf disease 
which has ruined so many coffee planters in 
Ceylon. Should it keep away from Sungei Ujong, 
growers there will have a good time before them. 
Appearances go far to bear out the forecast that, 
what with leaf disease and the abolition of slavery 
in Brazil, quotations for the berry will rule high in 
the market ere long. The cocoa tree* under experi- 
mental cultivation have been less fortunate than 
coffee. Stricken with blight, they were in a bad way 
for a long while, but of late, th< y have recovered 
sufficiently to hold out hopes of a fair crop this year. 
Tapioca cultivation does not seem to suit the coun- 
try, and the trade in the article lessened considerably 
during the year. So little confidence does this staple 
product command at present that gambier and pepper 
find more favour. Iu the export returns, tapioca 
makes a brave show. It figures there to the amount 
of 20,000 piculs ; while collVe, gambier, and pepper 
bctwoen them only muster 10,000 piculs. Increase in 
the yield of pepper in certain coast districts depends 
upon readier supplies of opium. Both the preparation 
and sale of the drug there are in the hands of mono- 
polist farmers. The latter charge so highly for the 
opium they supply, that the excessive price de- 
manded seriously interfere with the progress of 
settlement. Settlers find that the artificially en- 
hanced rates for the drug, make away, wholly or 
partially, with the profits on a plantation. The only 
remedy appears to be the abolition of the Farm, and 
the substitution of an import duty on opium instead. 
The only objection to this change lies in the probable 
increase of smugg ing in Malacca, in consequence 
of any such step. This difficulty can be overcome 
by authorising the importation of raw opium into 
Malacca, on payment of duty. The question has 
been taken into consideration by the Go- 
vernor, and wi 1 need thorough discussion, for any 
such measure at Malacca would run counter to 
free trade principles. When matters come to a 
head, political economy must give way to ex- 
pediency. Still, as matters now stand, the opium 
question certainly hampers the development of 
the tin mining industry. The duty on tin was 
raised by one dollar a bhara by order of the State 
Council, which greatly relieved the Chinese miners. 
They now pay a fixed tax on the metal, instead 
of squeezes to, Malays claiming royalties. Time 
will show whether this increase of the burdens 
on the tin mining industry is a wise step in these 
days of falling prices. — Straits Times, July 3rd. 
THE ASSAM TEA COMPANY. 
The annual general meeting of the shareholders 
of the above company was held on Monday week, at 
the offices, ;>, Laurcnco Pountney Ilill, Cannon Street, 
E.C, Mr. George Turnbull presiding. Tho report 
which was taken an road — stated that the total quantity 
of tea packed and desp itched to London of the 1887 
crop, amounted to 2,138 733 jb. which was 200,2731b 
loss th 111 that of tho preceediug year. Tho average 
price realised was la.Ojd.. per lb., or Id per lb. more 
than that of the preceding year. This increase of 
price did not qnito counterb tlancc the diminution 
in quantity, and tho Hoard wore unable to propose 
a larger dividend than 10 per cent, for ths yar. The 
gross proceeds of sales of tea amounted to £'113,7-10 
N 9 1 ; tho net profit on the crop being £18 121 Us Id. 
The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the re- 
port said the directors were disappointed at not be- 
itigaMoto recommend a larger dividend than 10 per 
cont. Tho prices re a lined in tho Loudon market fur 
their tea had had not a little to do with that di- 
tQinUbed dividend. Tho diminution in tho quantity of 
1 1>» produced had boon considerable, and was due to 
tho tino pluckiug, and to tbo cutting down of largo 
q nantitios of bushes which wero half worn out, and 
also to taking over about 100 acres of new planta- 
tions. Sufficient time had not yet elapnod for the 
growth of the plants in the new plantations to havu 
produced any tea, and, consequently there had been 
little or no yield from those 400 acres. List year 
they proposed certain changes in the administra- 
tion of their affairs at Assam, and tho packing of 
the tea in the gard"ns instead of at Nazerah had 
been carried out — he hoped with beneficial resmts. 
They participated last year in a reducti m in the, 
freight from Calcutta and Assam, and they now 
paid 25s a ton for freight, with a rebate of 5s per 
ton if all their tea were sent by tho liuers. — 11. <£ 0. 
Mail, July, 6th. 
NOTES ON PEODUCE AND FINANCE. 
Amongst the new joint-stock companies recently 
registered are I lie following: — The Greenwood Tea 
Company, Limited ; capital, £60,000 in £20 shares. Its 
object is to acquire the. estate* kuown as Greenwood, 
Dinjan, and Blackburn, with the several tea plantations 
or gardens thereon, situate iu the district of Luc- 
kimpore and Debrooghur, A«sam, to carry on the 
business of a tea plauter in all its branch) s, and any 
subsidiary business, au 1 any business, subservieut to 
the company's estates and properties. 
The statistics relative to the green" tea trade of 
Niugpo are interesting. About 70 per ceut of the total 
exports of the port are represented by green tea. 
The export last year up to December 31st amounted 
toroughly,17,800,'tliio lb., as compared with 10,700,000 lb. 
in 188o. At the end of the year there was, how- 
ever, a considerable stuck on hand, which has, to a 
large extent, sine 1 been shipped to Shanghai for ex- 
port to foreign countries, thus rendering the season 
of 1887-8S on the whole a fairly average one as regards 
quantity. The general quality of the teas produced 
(according to Mr. Consul Scott) was good, but it seems 
probable that losses were made on their shipments 
to New York, the prices iu Shanghai being quoted from 
timo to time as higher than the market rates in 
America. To the exporters from Ningpo the season 
is slid to have been disastrous, and it is estimated 
that the average loss of tho twenty-two Ohiuese tea- 
firing establishment* there was not less than £1,000 
each. Nor is it certiin that the season was a pros- 
perous. one for the growers even ; in the Ping Suey 
district they lost severely. The prici of teas generally, 
as compared with the season of 1836-87, was higher 
in the growing districts, but lower in the Shanghai 
market. The prospects for the present season arc 
stated to be uot encouraging. The crop is estimated 
as likely to be 30 per cent less, and the number of 
Chinese firms engaged in the trade half of thosa of 
the past season. — //. ft Mail, July 6th. 
PLANTING IN DELI. 
(Translated for the " Straits Times.") 
In Upper Langkat, by last advicss, this year's 
tobacco crop bids fair to be of good quality, bar- 
ring accidents. The weather is as favourable as 
it can be. 
The spread of planting enterprise in the country 
has thrown fresh light on the origin of that mys- 
terious disease known by tho name of beri beri. 
Experience shows that it breaks out readily among 
people, who ignorantly settle down on spots where 
tho primeval forest has just been cleared away. 
Planters who threw precautionary measures to 
the winds suffered heavy losses in coolies' lives. 
In Siak, for instance, on a single estate, 11 miles 
up a river, no less than ninety oat of one 
hundred coolies employed, died. No wonder need 
be felt at this high death rate, when it is con- 
sidered that tho coo io sheds were sot up on newly 
cleared ground, and the men were quartered there 
at once. At another place, some soldiers garrison- 
ing a fort thrown up on a jungle clearing, soon 
came within the grip of tho dreaded .h.-a.- . 
